Customer contact centre

Our customer contact centre is open 10am to 3pm and is operating an appointment only service.

In order to keep customers and staff safe, and to ensure social distancing, the way we operate has changed in line with Public Health and government guidance:

People will be seen by appointment only, no access without an appointment
Please attend alone if possible to help with social distancing
Please arrive at the time of your appointment, there is no waiting areas
Entrance and exiting the building will be managed by security
You will be asked about coronavirus symptoms when booking an appointment, and when entering the building – please do not attend if you have symptoms
Staff will use PPE and will be working behind screens, you will be asked to sanitise your hands on entrance to the building
No payments will be taken, all payments must be made online or over the phone.

Remember, no appointment, no entry

Useful information on how to contact other services can be found at our contacts page.

Last updated: 01/12/2020 16:43:08

Register office

The government has confirmed that from Monday, 19 July 2021 step 4 in its plan for the relaxation of restrictions relating to the coronavirus comes into effect.

The council has a duty and responsibility to protect its staff and customers which means that there will still be some changes to register office services from Monday, 19 July. These are:

Opening Hours

We are open to the public between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm Monday to Friday for appointments. The staff are at the office and the telephone lines are open between 8.30 am and 4.45 pm (4.00 pm on Fridays)

Appointments

Registering a birth, death or giving notice of marriage/civil partnership is by appointment only. Death appointments are on the telephone only.

Birth and notice of marriage/civil partnership appointments require you to in person and cannot be done remotely or virtually.

Certificate Applications

Certificate applications is by online application only at our website.

It is currently not possible to visit the register office and apply in person for a standard £11.00 certificate, you must apply online for this service.

We do offer a premium same day certificate service of £35.00 per certificate if you need a copy certificate urgently. This requires an appointment to attend the register office.

Appointments are subject to availability which may vary each day dependent upon other services. Premium certificate appointments are not always available every day.

Citizenship ceremonies

Citizenship ceremonies are now returning to group ceremonies which will be held approximately every two months. Each citizen will be able to bring six guests with them.

Individual citizenship ceremonies are still available as an alternative but these are now chargeable at a fee of £140.00. You can also bring six guests with you to individual citizenship ceremonies.

Weddings

The maximum number of people who can attend a wedding at the register office is now the couple being married and 50 (fifty) guests.

More details about how we will be managing weddings to ensure that staff and guests are safe see the Weddings at the Register Office information sheet [pdf document].

Future Changes to weddings

Due to additional demands for use of the council chamber for meetings, there are plans to no longer use it as a wedding venue.

Weddings will relocate to an alternative room in the Town Hall, currently committee room no. 1, which has views of St Cuthbert’s Church and grounds.

At present we do not have a definite date when the move will occur or what the capacity will be, but the move will not be before autumn 2021.

If your wedding is likely to be impacted by the relocation then we will contact you as soon as further information is available.

Last updated: 20/07/2021 11:18:05

National Restrictions.

Darlington is under national restrictions[external link]. We must all follow the rules to control the spread and protect each other.

Find out more on what the latest guidance might mean for you on the GOV.UK website[external link].

How can I report issues of non-compliance with the current closures and restrictions?

If you are aware of issues relating to the closure of premises then you should contact the council's environmental health team on [email protected] or 01325 405111. If the issue relates to social gatherings or groups of people behaving in a way they shouldn’t then you should contact the police.

Last updated: 29/03/2021 17:14:50

The tip and recycling centre

The tip and recycling centre are currently closed due to high winds.

Last updated: 12/03/2021 08:30:18

Alerts

Important announcements from our Twitter